Jerry Lewis is ‘Dead Serious,’ and, yes, it’s a comedy

By John Katsilometes

Monday, Aug. 24, 2015 | 1:25 p.m.

There is a single, apt question for Jerry Lewis, as we meet in his living room and he wearing silk bathrobe and knee-high tube socks.

“We were supposed to meet today, right?”

“Yes!” he says. “I just forgot and didn’t log the time.”

“I can come back …”

“No. Let’s do it now,” he says. “We’ll get a couple of Diet Sunkists.”

So it’s two cans of Diet Sunkist (orange soda, always) and an afternoon hang at Jerry’s Place. Lewis is busy once more, about to start filming a National Lampoon movie and booking more stage appearances across the country. In late-November, his indie film “Max Rose” is set for release.

Also, there are tentative plans at Cinémathèque Française in Paris, which is France’s largest film archives, to host a retrospective of Lewis’s life and career. “We’re just talking about it right now, but that is a very, very big deal,’ Lewis says. “It’s almost as important there to them as their Academy Awards.”

Jerry Lewis remains a very, very big deal in France.

“Oh, yeah!” he says, grinning. “That’s my room!”

Lewis touched on myriad topics, including his upcoming film role, another tour of his stage show, his ongoing dreams of his famous friends, and even a brush of his never-released Holocaust film, “The Day The Clown Cried.”

Highlights from the Sunkist Summit:

What’s going on with “Dead Serious,” the National Lampoon movie. That’s the name right?

Yeah, I think we start it (Tuesday). I’m not sure, but around there.

Where are you filming?

Here.

What’s the role you’re playing?

It’s an oddball role. Somewhat of a narrator for the action that’s going on. He’s been around a long time, an old man. And I said, why don’t we celebrate my birthday when we shoot? Ninety!

They’re still going to be filming in March, next year? (Lewis’ birthday is March 16.)

Yep!

So you’re going to be narrating, but will you be in front of the camera?

Yes, in front of the camera. My persona is a rich, wealthy, studious, very aware character. In charge, definitely in charge. We’ll do the best we can with the (stuff) we’ve got.

OK. What else do you have planned for your 90th?

CBS wants to do a 90th birthday. We’re talking to them about it now … a big, big review kind of show. And then I go to the East Coast and do shows in New York, Chicago and Denver.

This going to be the same type of show you’ve been doing, the multimedia and you at the center of the stage introducing the clips?

Yeah. It’s fun, it’s fun. I gotta get in front of an audience at least once a month to maintain my … my balance. The thought of never performing again is just devastating to me.

And you’re talking about live performance, not TV or movies.

I just need an audience. Give me two and a half hours and I’ll be a happy clam. (He turns his attention to his flat-screen TV, where CNN is covering a campaign speech by Donald Trump.) Do you realize we got a year and four months more of this (stuff)? A year and four months more.

So, what do you think of Trump?

I think he’s giving it a lot more legs than it would have had without him. I think that he’s good for the Republicans. But I don’t know too much more about what he would do. He’s got a lot of balls, that’s for sure. With 10 billion in the bank, I would have that, too.

Are you considering doing any campaigning for anyone?

No. I told you once when we first met that I don’t get into politics because I do comedy already. I mean, one more shot of Rand Paul and I want to break the (expletive) television set (laughs).

You still seem like you’re in good spirits. You’re feeling all right these days?

I’m in good spirits, considering. Getting older is not for sissies, pal. Boy, every day you get up, you look around and say, “What now?” What’s next?”

How did you get hooked up with the National Lampoon movie exactly? How did they find you?

I have no idea. My agent called and asked if I’d read it and I said, “Yeah.” So, I read it and I said I’d do it, sure … You know, I still get offers. Six scripts a month come to me.

What makes a difference for you to take on a movie? Why did you do this one as opposed to the others?

The written word, of course. You know, I don’t have to read a script more than page four to know it’s for me or not.

Do you still go to movies? Do you watch movies?

All the time. I love to watch the old movies; Warner Bros. movies with Edward G. Robinson and Jimmy Cagney, Humphrey Bogart. All of the key people from the golden age of cinema. Channel 128 is movies all day long. Channel 121 is the same thing. You never can be without a movie.

The news is always on when I come over here. You absorb news and you watch a lot of movies.

The news is always on ’til it bugs me or annoys me. And I see amateur work — that bothers me.

You’ve been out and about somewhat lately. You’ve been to the Smith Center for “Kinky Boots” and at Bob Anderson’s show at the Venetian, at Matt Goss’ show at Caesars, at Pia Zadora’s show at Piero’s. It seems to me like you’ve been more active in going out into the city than you were maybe six or seven years ago.

I like to go out once in a while. It’s good for me. I went to the Wynn to see “Showstoppers.” It brings me back to the Vegas that I loved. Sixty-five people on the stage all dancing at the same time. It’s pretty exciting, with the orchestra. It’s all wonderful. I wrote (Steve Wynn) a fan letter. I said I heard about a lot of the stuff you do in town but I didn’t realize how good it was until I saw “Showstoppers.” I loved it. I just hope that there are copycats. That’s what I’m hoping for.

I want to ask another movie question. You’ve got a collection of your films that are being moved to Library of Congress, right?

All my stuff’s at the Library of Congress.

Part of the collection is, “The Day the Clown Cried.” We’ve never talked about that film.

And we won’t again.

The only question I have is this: There’s a 10-year moratorium on the viewing of that movie? Is that right?

Who put the 10-year moratorium on it?

Apparently, you did. And I’m reading this that the condition was — and I’m going off a published report — that you didn’t want it seen for 10 years. You would be 100, in other words, when that moratorium is lifted.

No. It’ll never be seen. Never. It will never be seen by a human being. Ever.

OK. When was the last time you saw it?

1970.

Really? Wow. OK, fair enough ...

Fair enough.

What else is keeping you occupied? What fills your day?

My daughter (Danielle). She is working for David Saxe Productions. She’s a writer with his company and she’s doing very well and I’m very proud of her. It’s a good company of people. They’re all nice, young, and smart. I went to see David’s show the other night at Planet Hollywood.

“Vegas! The Show?” How’d you like it?

It was very good, very good.

It’s got a great heart, that show.

Yeah. It does. The kids work hard. You know, they wanted to take a picture of me on stage (laughs), and I said you can’t take one picture with 60 people, so I took 10 shots with the dancers, the singers, the orchestra, the crew. Must have been shooting for 30 minutes. And it was fun. It was really fun. Nice kids.

The thing David has done is remind people of what Las Vegas entertainment used to look like. That’s what you stand for, still, right?

Yep. Funny, I had a dream the night before last of Sammy (Davis Jr.) and I. We were together in my car and having the best time and I didn’t want to wake up. It was such fun.

Where were you guys going?

We were going somewhere, just carrying on and having some fun. I miss that little guy. It’s been a long time. When he was up there onstage, he’s the very reason that we have such a thing as showmanship. He taught us all.

He could do it all, couldn’t he?

Oh, God, yes.

You still dream about those guys, huh? You still dream about Dean (Martin)?

I dream about my partner twice a week. But, that’s by design. It’s a pleasure. I can’t go to bed and say, “Now I’m going to dream of …” I can’t do that.

But it happens.

But it happens, and it’s wonderful.

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